After eating and drinking their fill, the three girls took on the task of washing the bento boxes for Bai Mo.
After all, it's only fair to return a favor after enjoying a meal, and since they had eaten most of the dishes, washing a bento box was the least they could do.
Once everything was done, there was still plenty of time left in the lunch break.
So, the four of them gathered together and chatted happily.
Most of the time, however, it was Yui Hirasawa asking questions while Bai Mo answered.
It seemed this airheaded Yui was trying to extract some "secret recipes" from Bai Mo to take home and teach her younger sister, so she could enjoy such delicious food forever!
When Yui accidentally let slip her intentions, Bai Mo didn't hold back and shared the cooking techniques for a few dishes, telling her to take notes. But Yui seemed more interested in the other delicacies Bai Mo mentioned.
"No problem, no problem! Even if I don't remember, Ui will!"
Mio Akiyama sighed helplessly but still quietly memorized the cooking tips Bai Mo shared.
Aside from cooking, the girls were also curious about Bai Mo's homeland, Donghuang.
In this world, Donghuang had long surpassed the chaotic United States to become the world's leading superpower.
Japan, which revered strength over virtue, had once again aligned itself with Donghuang early on.
Thus, many Japanese who had never been to Donghuang were quite curious about it.
"Donghuang is quite vast, but it now offers a 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreigners. If you ever want to visit, I can take you around next time!"
"Eh?! Really? Really?!" Yui immediately perked up. "I want to try Peking duck, crab roe soup dumplings, mapo tofu, and—and braised lion's head, Dongpo pork!"
As she spoke, drool seemed to glisten at the corner of her mouth, as if she couldn't wait to taste these dishes.
After reining in Yui's excitement, Mio asked more about Donghuang's historical landmarks and culture, inquiring about famous sites like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
As for Kato Megumi, she simply listened quietly, seemingly uninterested in these topics.
"Oh, right! Bai Mo-kun, Kato-san, which clubs are you planning to join?" Yui asked curiously. "Aren't we required to join at least one club? I'd love to hear your choices for reference!"
"What about you, Mio-san?"
"Ah, I've already accepted an invitation from Student Council President Amakusa to join the student council. But because of the school merger, the council is currently reorganizing, so the announcement will have to wait a few more days."
"Ehehe~ Once Mio joins the student council, no one will dare to bully me anymore!"
Faced with Yui's smug expression, Bai Mo glanced at Mio, who was adjusting her glasses.
So this is the future all-powerful "Mio-sama"?
Come to think of it, isn't there also the infamous "Sawa-chan the Tyrant"?
"Hey, hey~ Bai Mo-kun, which club are you planning to join? You're so tall and muscular—you must be joining a sports club, right?"
"Nah. It's not that I look down on them, but if I joined, their club activities would probably lose all meaning."
"After all, fighting for second place isn't very exciting."
Though Bai Mo's words might have sounded a bit arrogant, none of the girls refuted him. However, a few students in the classroom sneered, as if doubting his claims.
"Then which club does Bai Mo-kun want to join?"
Bai Mo instinctively glanced at Kato Megumi, as the whole "Going Home Club" incident from yesterday had left quite an impression on him.
Meeting his gaze, Kato Megumi, recalling the same event, guiltily averted her eyes for once.
Bai Mo didn't bring up her embarrassment and instead stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"If there were a club where you could sit in the clubroom, drink tea, chat, eat sweets, enjoy the AC, and listen to music… that'd be perfect."
"Eh?! A club like that exists? I want to join too!"
Mio sighed at Yui's immediate excitement. "Yui, Bai Mo-kun's ideal club doesn't exist. I checked out most of the clubs yesterday."
"The tea ceremony club has tons of rules, the cooking club doesn't just make sweets all the time, and the only music clubs our school has are the jazz research club and the wind ensemble club. Neither of them has such a relaxed atmosphere!"
"Eh~ There's nothing like that? That's so disappointing!" Yui pouted. "I really wanted to join the kind of club Bai Mo-kun described!"
"Well, you can't always get what you want."
"Maybe not necessarily." Bai Mo, who had been recalling memories of his past life, suddenly smiled. "Who knows? Maybe such a club will exist someday."
After all… wouldn't a Light Music Club be fun?
After the lunchtime chatter, the afternoon brought a P.E. class.
Since it was the start of the school year, a burly P.E. teacher decided to conduct surprise tests to gauge the students' abilities.
The tests included standing long jumps, pull-ups, grip strength, lung capacity, a 50-meter dash, and a 400-meter run.
Due to limited teaching resources, P.E. classes in Japan usually combined two classes.
In the neighboring class, Bai Mo spotted two somewhat familiar figures.
Those two noisy girls… were they named Mio Akiyama and Ritsu Tainaka?
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T/N:
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